Government backs down on promise of internet filter

Posted
November 09, 2012 08:40:00

Government backs down on promise of internet filter After arguing stridently for years for a mandatory internet filter, the federal government has abandoned the idea. The filter was designed to block out child pornography on the internet. The Minister, Stephen Conroy says the internet service providers will now have the responsibility of blocking a list of websites.

STEPHEN CONROY: Well we have reached agreement with all of the telco service providers that they will block the worst of the worst, the child abuse pornography material that's available on the public internet.

The police have issued notices to a whole range of companies and the few remaining companies that make up about 10 per cent will start receiving notices. But we've had notices issued by the police, the companies are cooperating and we welcome that.

This follows my call in 2010 for the Australian Law Reform Commission to review a category known as refused classification and they came back earlier this year and recommended that a new category be introduced called prohibited content which would include the worst of the worst in terms of child pornography sites.

Accepted that recommendation from the Law Reform Commission and we've been in discussions with the telecommunications companies and we are pleased to say that we've reached an agreement, notices have been issued and about 1400 sites that are monitored by Interpol will now be blocked.

SABRA LANE: You argued for five years that the compulsory internet filter was needed. Malcolm Turnbull says this morning after five years of bluster you are abandoning the idea. Do you feel silly now having to walk away from it?

STEPHEN CONROY: Well we've actually reached agreement with the industry to block child pornography and we think that is a significant step forward.

The public had a chance for input. I called for a review of the refused classification category back in 2010. That review went through 2011 and reported back this year. And they said the current definition of RC was too broad; a new category should be put in place.

And I accepted that and I've taken the recommendation and been negotiating with the industry and now we've reached agreement.

It's a sad day when someone thinks that not blocking child pornography is a good thing.

SABRA LANE: I don't think he is arguing that but the decision does fall short of the original intention of what Labor promised of a filter which was to blacklist sites beyond those relating to child abuse.

STEPHEN CONROY: You're talking about the 2007 policy. In 2010 I called for a review of the category of refused classification because there had been genuine community concern. That review consulted the public, conducted by the Law Reform Commission, came back with recommendations earlier this year and we are accepting them.

SABRA LANE: Why has it taken you five years to come to this realisation?

STEPHEN CONROY: Well the review took place, started in 2010 and has been completed now and we've accepted the recommendation. I think that's a very thorough process we've gone through. We've been negotiating with the telecommunications companies and we think this is a very good outcome.

SABRA LANE: The mandatory filter was promised by Kevin Rudd. Are you glad that you're rid of another Rudd policy that many warned was impractical?

STEPHEN CONROY: Well as I said, I think your categorisation is wrong. We've just announced that we've successfully negotiated banning child pornography, child abuse material. We have the industry supporting it. And I think that's a very good outcome.